Disclaimer: If it is not in the games or on TV I own it, so ask before
using my characters.

Janelle had walked on the beach for over an hour without seeing anything
except sand and water. She sighed, usually she saw pokemon playing on the
beach or swimming in the serf, but today not an even Pidgey was singing in
the trees. She was about to turn off the beach and head home, when a soft
moan caught her ear. She stopped to listen. The moan rose over the beach
again, and she turned in the direction from which it came. About 300 yards
down the beach a blue-gray figure caught her eye. After a moment of
hesitation, Janelle’s curiosity got the best of her. She crept down within
500 ft. of the crying animal before realizing it was a baby Lapras. The
baby moaned again as it looked down the beach. Janelle followed its gaze
to a much larger Lapras several hundred yards away. But something wasn’t
quite right. The sand around it was a dark red color, its head was down,
and there were lots of people around it.
"Poachers!" The word escaped her lips like a breath of air. A soft moan
brought her thoughts back to the baby. "I have to save the baby!" She
thought. After a quick glance at the poachers, she ran from her cover to
the young pokemon. She knelt by the pokemon that only came up to her hip
when she was standing.
"Shhhh, It’s OK. I’m here to help you." She said pulling out her lucky
charm.
"Lap ras?"
"I can’t help your mother now."
"Raaaaaassss!" It moaned.
"Shhhhhh! Now get in the pokeball so I can carry you."
"Raass" it moaned again before allowing itself to be captured.
********************************************************** "Mom! Dad!
I’ve got to tell you…"
"JANELLE KETCHEM, WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN!"
"Mom, I was at the beach and I…"
"AT THE BEACH! YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO BE HOME HALF AN HOUR AGO! YOU NEED TO
PACK, EAT, AND GET TO BED EARLY! WHAT ON EARTH WERE YOU DOING ON THE BEACH!"
"I was coming home byway of the beach when I saw poachers attacking a
Lapras and its baby. I was able to save the baby, but…" tears began to
roll down her face. Her mothers eyes softened.
"I’m sorry honey, I should have let you explain. ASH SWEETY, CALL
OFFICER JENNY. THERE ARE POACHERS ON THE BEACH!" She yelled across the
house. "Now as for you young lady, dinner is almost ready and your dad has
a present for you." Janelle wiped her eyes and followed her mother into the
dinning room to find her father on the phone.
"Yes Officer Jenny…She has to leave tomorrow…Tonight would be fine…see
you then …goodbye." Her father hung up the phone "Officer Jenny is coming
tonight to get your statement. You better eat and finish getting ready so
you can get bed to immediately after." Janelle slipped into her chair at
the table, while her mother went to the kitchen to get the food. Suddenly,
her father set a large package wrapped in pokeball print wrapping paper in
front of her.
"What is it?"
"Now if I wanted you to know right away I won’t have gone to the trouble
to wrap it, now would I."
"OK, OK, I got the point." She muttered as began to rip the paper off.
Under the paper was a plain white box with tape on the ends.
"Well…open it!"
"I’m working on it." She said. Finally, achieving victory against the
tape, she opened the box and pulled out a brand new red, official pokemon
league backpack.
"Oh Daddy…It’s wonderful."
"I’m glad you like it."
"I’m glad too, but dinner is ready and that pack will get dirty if you
leave it on the table." Her mother said as she set a plate of chicken,
mashed potatoes, and broccoli in front of her. Janelle put her new
backpack on the floor and began to eat feverishly.
"Slow down, slow down, there is plenty of time." Her mother mused.
"Besides, that my be the last meal of non-prepackaged food you eat for a
long time. So enjoy it" Her father chuckled. After slowly finishing her
meal, Janelle set her plate in the sink just as the doorbell rang. She
could hear someone open the door, followed by a lot of muttering.
"Janelle, Officer Jenny is here to talk to you." Her father called from
the living room. Janelle went into the living room. Officer Jenny was
sitting on the edge of a lounge chair.
"Have a seat sweety." She said motioning to the couch.
************************************************************
"…and that’s what I saw." She finished.
"Thank you," She muttered, "and what happened to the baby."
"The baby…?"
"Janelle…" Her father warned. She sighed and took Lapras’ miniature
pokeball out of her pocket and set it on the coffee table.
"You know you can’t keep that." Officer Jenny Informed her. "Even if you
have passed your test, you don’t have your license yet. By law that
pokemon is property of your parents."
"I know." She sighed.
"Janelle you need to go pack." Her father instructed.
"Yes Sir" she slide off the couch and walked up stairs with her backpack
in tow. She flung her backpack on her bed with frustration. ‘I caught that
Lapras, I should get to keep it!’ She opened a drawer and took out some
clothes. After putting the clothes on her bed she pulled a pair of shoes,
a sleeping bag, and a pillow out of the closet. She sat next to the pile
of things and started to fold the clothes as small as she could. First she
put in her clothes, followed by her pillow then the sleeping bag. Janelle
held her backpack at arms length; being a Official Pokemon League backpack
it had places for her pokedex, pokeballs, pokemon/trainer food, and any
items she would carry. The pack also had the League symbol of a 2 1/3 sided
triangle on the front. She replaced the backpack on the bed. Then pulled
out a lime-green tank top, khaki cargo shorts, and a pair of socks from a
drawer. She placed these items and her shoes on her dresser for tomorrow.
Janelle changed into her PJs, put her stuff on the floor, and lay on her
bed looking out at the stars. At some point she fell asleep, but a sudden
warmth of someone covering her up woke her.
"Do you think she’ll be all right Ash?"
"Of course she will Misty, she’s my daughter."
"That’s why I’m worried"
"Ha ha, let’s go before we wake her."
The sun broke through the window of Janelle’s bedroom. Janelle stretched
and pulled the covers over her head.
"Janelle, are you still in bed?" Her mother stuck her head in "You are
going to be late to get your first pokemon." At that Janelle sat strait up
in bed. She leaped from her bed, through on the clothes she had set out
last night, and grabbed her new backpack before flying down stairs.
"Well, that was quick." Her mother said sipping her coffee "Now hurry to
Prof. Tracey’s."
"Bye mom, thank for waking me." Janelle called back before she ran down
the street towards the pokemon lab.
************************************************************
Janelle took the stairs two at a time out side Prof. Tracey’s lab. The
lab used to belong to Prof. Oak, but when he retired to Cinnabar Island his
apprentices and friend of her father, Tacey, took over the lab. Janelle
pushed passed the heavy lab door into the main lobby. The large room was
empty.
"Hello? Is anyone here?" She called "Mom was right, I’m late."
"I won’t call it late, rather…the first one here." She spun around to see
a man a little older then her father with black hair and blue eyes.
"This is great! I can have my first pokemon, my pokedex, my pokeballs…"
"Whoa whoa" He through up his hands "Let’s start with what type you want.
Follow me." Janelle followed the Prof. into the lab. He presented her
with several pokemon in there balls.
"OK, these are the pokemon you can chose from. From right to left there
is a water type, a grass type, a ground type, a fire type, and a normal type."
"Which one is mine?!"
"You got here first, so you get first choice."
"I get my choice! I’ll take the fire type." She said without
hesitation. Prof. Tacey took the pokeball off the shelf and handed it to
her along with a pokedex and some pokeballs.
"Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!" She yelled as she ran back into the
lobby. Once in the lobby Janelle brought out her pokemon.
"Pokeball go!!"
"Groooowwwl !!" The pokemon came screaming out of its pokeball. The
tiger-striped, thigh-high pokemon began looking around for its opponent.
Upon not seeing any other pokemon it turned to Janelle for an answer.
"Growl?" It questioned. Janelle opened her pokedex.
"Beep: Growlithe the puppy pokemon. This pokemon is very loyal to its
trainer, defending them viciously if necessary. Beep"
"Hi Growlithe, I’m Janelle your trainer." She said extending her hand so
Growlithe could sniff it.
"Hey Janelle, Your pokemon looks great!" Janelle turned to see Phil going
to get his first pokemon. "Wait for me OK."
"OK" Janelle got better aquatinted with Growlithe until Phil returned
with pokeball and pokedex in hand. He was dressed in long jeans shorts and
a red shirt. They exited the lab together with Growlithe at Janelle’s side.
"Hi sweet heart, hi Phil, how did it go, what did you get?" Her parents
greeted them at the bottom of the stairs.
"Great Daddy, I got a Growlithe." Motioning to the pokemon at her feet.
"I got a male Nidoran…Where is my dad?" He asked.
"I’m sorry Phil, I don’t know." Her dad responded.
"He’s probably drunk again." He muttered under his breath. Suddenly, the
thick silence was broken by the little rodent on Ash’s shoulder.
"Pika Pika Pi Chu." Pikachu held out a pokeball for Ash. Ash took the
pokeball and handed it to Janelle.
"Janelle, we talked about it last night and we decided to let you keep
Lapras."
"Really!!!"
"This is not my day" Phil moaned.
"Don’t be down Phil, I’ll let you catch the first pokemon we see."
"Have you two decided to be traveling buddies?" Her mom asked, getting
that romantic look in her eyes "You know that’s how I and your father meet
don’t you."
"Mom!!" "Misty!!" Janelle and her father started to turn red.
"You two better get going. Janelle are you going to keep Growlithe out
of his pokeball?" Her father cut into the impending embarrassment of them
both.
"Ummm…" She looked down at her pokemon, "Yes I am."
"And Phil take care of my little girl." Her father yelled as they hurried
them off .
************************************************************
The woods were alive with the cried of unseen pokemon. Phil and Janelle
walked side by side while Growlithe trotted and sniffed out in front.
"I can’t believe we haven’t seen one pokemon yet." Janelle groaned
"Ahhh, the joys of traveling with a ketchem…" Phil smirked. Janelle
stuck her tough out at him. As if on cue a pokemon popped out of the bushes.
"Meowth" Growlithe growled and prepared for a fight.
"No Growlithe, I promised Phil he could catch this one" Growlithe
whimpered but returned to Janelle’s side
"All right, time to catch my first pokemon. Go Nidoran, Horn Attack!"
Nidoran appeared, lowered its head, and charged the cat pokemon. The
suprised cat turned and scratched at its attacker, while Nidoran’s horn dug
deep into Meowth’s side.
"Now Nidoran, Tackle it!" Before the wild pokemon could react, Nidoran
slammed it into the ground. Meowth looked close to fainting.
"Go Pokeball!!" The red and white ball hit Meowth, turning him into red
energy, and sucking him inside. The ball shuck once, twice, three times,
"Ping."
"Yeah, I got a Meowth!" Phil gave the two finger victory sign.
"How do you know what it is? And why are you giving orders to an
inanimate object?"
"Because that’s the name it said." He chose to ignore the second question.
"Thank you smarty pants."
"Well Miss. Futurepokemonmaster, were is the first town?"
"Let’s see…" She checked the map in her pokedex "The next town is Insect
Village. It’s about a mile strait ahead."
"Great, I hate bugs."
"Don’t think of them as bug, instead bug shaped pokemon."
"Has any one ever told you your too positive?"
"Only you, Phil."
The trees turned to buildings, and the grass to well traveled dirt, and
the surrounding woods became a small, quaint town. All the buildings,
except the pokecenter, were made of wood and mud.
"This place is nothing like Pallet." Phil muttered.
"Let’s go to the pokecenter then the gym for our first badge!" She began
to pull him in the direction of the center when her stomach reminded her
she hadn’t eaten since dinner last night. "Well maybe we could eat first."
************************************************************
The waiting/reception room of the gym was decorated with pictures and
information about bug pokemon. On the far side of the room was a reception
desk next to a door. The lady behind the desk was reading a fashion
magazine and smacking her gum. There were some chairs lining the walls of
the room. Some held kids and pokemon, while others remained empty. Some
of the kids look happy, sad , others talked to there pokemon. The three
companions approached the desk.
"Excuse me…"
"Sign here please." The receptionist interrupted, without inflection, and
pushed a clipboard towards them. Janelle, then Phil signed the sheet.
"When can we go in?" Janelle asked. The receptionist shifted her
magazine, and picked up the clipboard.
"Miss. Ketchem, you may go in but Mr. Oak will have to wait out here."
She replied, again without inflection. Janelle waited for the whispers of
the sparse crowd to die down.
"Why can’t he come watch my battle?" The receptionist only pointed to a
sign next to the door.
DO TO INCREASING NUMBERS OF TRAINERS AND COMPLAINTS FROM THE ELITE 4, GYM
LEADERS, AND TRAINERS THE POKEMON LEAGUE HAS ADDED SOME NEW RULES. THESE
RULES ARE AS FOLLOWS:
1. A TRAINER MUST ACQUIRE 11 BADGES BEFORE CHALLENGING THE ELITE 4.
2. GYM AND ELITE BATTLES ARE NOT TO BE VIEWED
3. ALL GYMS ARE REQUIRED TO HAVE A POKECENTER NEXT DOOR
ALL OTHER CHANGES WILL BE POSTED WHEN IT BECOMES NECESSARY

"Good luck Janelle!" Phil called from behind her as she pushed on the
door and into the gym.
************************************************************
The inside of the gym was very uninviting. Once the door closed behind
her every thing was dark. Janelle and Growlithe began to move forward into
the dark silence. The only sound was their foot steps on a floor covered in
grass. The immeasurable room was warm, a little too warm.
"Growl?"
"No Growlithe, I can’t see ether." Has she spoke the ground under their
feet turned from grass to concrete. They stopped. There was a blinding
flash as the lights came on. When their eyes adjusted they were looking
across a soccer size field. The field was covered in grass except for two
cement blocks, one at each end, she stood on one and her opponent stood on
the other. The arena was marked out with chalk.
"I am Sarah, the leader of the Insect Village Gym. I defined the Bug
Badge. This will be a two pokemon battle, no time limit. My first pokemon
will be Butterfree." She tossed out a pokeball, which revealed a purple
butterfly with white and black wings.
"Fine, Go Growlithe!"
"Butterfree, use your Sleep Powder!"
"Growlithe, use Ember!" Butterfree released a purple powder from its
wings. Growlithe shook as if it had just gotten out of the water; but
instead of water, drops of fire formed a huge cloud that burned every thing
it touched. The two clouds clashed, but the Butterfree’s caught fire. The
fire raced up the Sleep Powder and to Butterfree’s wings.
"Free Free Free !" The poor pokemon panicked when its wings caught fire,
flying around frantically trying to put it out.
"Butterfree, Return. Go Beedrill, use your Twin Needle attack!"
"Growlithe, use Agility then Flame Thrower!" Growlithe became a
reddish-brown blur as he darted all over the arena. Meanwhile Beedrill
tried in vain to stab her with Its needled hands. Suddenly Growlithe
changed direction and let lose a column of fire from its mouth. The flume
engulfed Beedrill.
"Beedrill, return." Sarah was furious.
"Growlithe, return"
"I award the Bug Badge to…what is your name any way?"
"Janelle Ketchem." Janelle smirked
"Did you say Ketchem?" Sarah anger seemed to defuse, "I proudly award the
Bug Badge to Janelle Ketchem, along with the gym prize of $400." Janelle
pinned the badge to her shirt and turned to leave the gym.